Lonely planet ireland

by Fionn Davenport

Lonely Planet’s Ireland is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Explore the Causeway Coast, have a pint in the pub, and drive the Ring of Kerry; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Ireland and begin your journey now!

Inside Lonely Planet’s Ireland Travel  

Up-to-date information - all businesses were rechecked before publication to ensure they are still open after 2020’s COVID-19 outbreak

NEW top experiences feature - a visually inspiring collection of Ireland’s best experiences and where to have them

What's NEW feature taps into cultural trends and helps you find fresh ideas and cool new areas

NEW pull-out, passport-size 'Just Landed' card with wi-fi, ATM and transport info - all you need for a smooth journey from airport to hotel

NEW Accommodation feature gathers all the information you need to plan your accommodation

NEW Where to Stay in Dublin map is your at-a-glance guide to accommodation options in each neighbourhood
Improved planning tools for family travellers - where to go, how to save money, plus fun stuff just for kids

Colour maps and images throughout

Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests

Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots

Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, websites, transit tips, prices

Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss

Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, cuisine, politics

Over 90 maps 

Covers Dublin, Counties Wicklow & Kildare, Counties Wexford, Waterford, Carlow & Kilkenny, Cork, Kerry, Limerick & Tipperary, Clare, Galway, Mayo & Sligo, County Donegal, the Midlands, Belfast, Down & Armagh, Londonderry & Antrim, Fermanagh & Tyrone

The Perfect Lonely Planet’s Ireland , our most comprehensive guide to Ireland, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less travelled. 

Looking for just the highlights? Check out Pocket Dublin , a handy-sized guide focused on the can't-miss sights for a quick trip.

About Lonely Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and phrasebooks for 120 languages, and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, videos, 14 languages, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more, enabling you to explore every day.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Ireland, Reference

1250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 1994

Reviews

[William Guerrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Travel guidebooks like this are now obsolete, I suppose. But I still enjoy them. This one is irreverently informative and 11 years old.

[Sara Snarr · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect guidebook for an amazing trip to the Emerald Isle.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you GoodReads Angel for correcting the title of this travel guide!!

Hello Goodreads- could someone please correct the title of this book? It is Lonely Planet Ireland, although Lonel Ireland has a certain plaintive ring to it. But this kind of silliness bugs the crap out of me. Just sayin'

ANYWAY. Embarking upon fourth journey to Ireland in September. Buying this travel guide wasn't really necessary- we know where we will be for most our our stay: hiking the Ring of Kerry. Our lodging is already arranged and our route mapped out. But this proved an irresistible addition to the coffee table as we anticipate our adventure.

The problem with buying a travel guide AFTER you've planned (most of) your trip is that you begin to doubt your choices. It's like a menu that's been left on the table after the waiter has turned in your dinner order. Oh, but why didn't we decide on Donegal and Sligo? And we always said our next trip would be to Northern Ireland, to Co. Antrim and Belfast. Perhaps we should have hiked the wilds of Burren... How delicious to have such doubts when we know that Co. Kerry will be magical. And we do have several days at the end of our hike to spend SOMEWHERE. Considering a return to Galway, or perhaps an exploration of Kinsale, or maybe a cruise through C. Clare...

I haven't purchased a Lonely Planet guide in some time- we've been using Rough Guides for recent trips to Europe. But I'm a sucker for pretty pictures and colored fonts. The maps are well-done and in reviewing information given for places I know, the advice seems spot-on.

Doolin, perhaps we'll spend some time in Doolin- we can walk from there to the Cliffs of Moher. Then there are the yurts on Cape Clear Island, ferry ride from Baltimore....Bantry? Brendan's never been to Bantry....

[Megan Tran · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wonder how often people still read travel books. It’s one of my favorite things about prepping for a trip. Can’t wait for Ireland.

[Vagamundus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me la he leído de cabo a rabo. He organizado con ella dos viajes a Irlanda ya y, si hay un tercero, la volveré a utilizar. Lo mejor, que dice la verdad. Si algo no merece la pena visitarlo, te lo dicen alto y claro (y de manera bastante poética para ser honestos, también igual de bruta a veces). Algunas de las mejores descripciones rezan: "X pueblo no es más que un punto en la carretera / el resto del año está más bien muerto / tiene aire decadente y descuidado". Vamos, que si no tienes que ir a un sitio, te queda más que claro, no te venden oro donde no hay ni musgo (y eso que en Irlanda hay de sobra).

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

although this was an e book it was really hard to use. Did give some good ideas but a lot of stuff is outdated and no longer exists. Lonely Planet needs to add reader input in real time to its recommendations.

[Benjamin Rubenstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book paid for itself by leading me to take the superfab literary pub crawl

[Katie Karnehm-Esh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lonely Planet consistently writes the best travel guides for my kind of travel--budget-conscious (but sometimes ready to splurge on the right experience ), informed, and as local as possible.

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Più che letto, "vissuto" durante un mese on the road lungo l'Irlanda.
La Lonely Planet non delude mai, la conosciamo tutti e tutti l'apprezziamo.

Suggerisce itinerari, tiene conto di diverse tipologie di budget e va a suggerirti anche posti bizzarri e inusuali (un esempio su tutti, mi ha fatto scovare un pub a Fethard che è anche agenzia di pompe funebri).

C'è un però: diciamo che non tutti gli indirizzi e le informazioni sono aggiornate: la mia versione è datata 2012 e non ho creduto ci sarebbero stati dei problemi, che un annetto e mezzo facesse la differenza; ma qualcosa di non più aggiornato c'era. Un paio di bed and breakfast chiusi o ristoranti inesistenti. E per chi viaggia on the road, come me, e si gira isole con villaggi di pescatori che già offrono poche sistemazioni, è essenziale.
Quindi il consiglio è di comprare SEMPRE l'ultima edizione uscita. Ché alla fine son sempre 28 euro +_+

[JuliA · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been an indispensable companion on our trip through Ireland.

Unfortunately, this 2022 edition was updated during the pandemic and some information is outdated. For example, the National Leprechaun museum in Dublin has moved several blocks down the road.
The guide alleges that tickets to Brú na Bóinne are only allocated on a first-come-first-served basis and cannot be booked in advance via the website. This is incorrect.

Until Lonely Planet brings out another updated edition, double check all info on the relevant websites.

Also, if you are interested in Neolithic sites, check dedicated websites or buy a dedicated book. We saw several amazing passage tombs, portal tombs and stone circles that are not mentioned in the LP.

[Kim Lanza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love digging into my Lonely Planet guide and thinking through the next journey.

Once again, I am amazed at how much info is packed into a LP guidebook. Without the heads up from LP, I would have missed the World Championships Irish Dance Championships that will be happening the weekend I will be in Dublin.

For all those travelers out there still planning with a Google search, give it up!

[Colleen Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Covers it all!

This travel guide is thorough, while telling information a planner should consider before traveling. There are great insights and cautionary tales. Ireland sounds like a beautiful area to visit, and a traveler is properly told why it is so green, (plan for rain). Enjoy the people, the history, the food and beverages. Be safe.

[Larisa Reilly thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful! Very excited to plan my trip

Very helpful - insider information invaluable for me, as I'm a first time traveller to Ireland. Looking forward to my trip, with all the great tips I used to plan my itinerary.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only wanted to read the section on Dublin for my upcoming travels, which was helpful but overwhelming. Great book if you plan on traveling around a lot of Ireland. I'll pick it up again before my next trip over there. :)

[Jo Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always buy a Lonely Planet guide any time I’m going away and I devour it before I go. This guide was great for my trip to Ireland, it had even been updated to mention how COVID might affect certain attractions and areas which was helpful too.

[Ceilidhchaos · Rating 3 out of 5]

good travel guide. needed more visuals and maps.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Especially helpful re: veg food in Dublin and places to see in Belfast. Stayed at a recommended B&B in Dublin (Grafton Guesthouse) for a week in late November 2017 and it was excellent.

[Susan Wiltshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a useful reference guide for any holiday in Ireland.

[Charlie De kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource!

[Vaibhav Bhandari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Traveling in Ireland.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well laid out and easy to read and research things to do while visiting beautiful Ireland!

[Ashley]

As usual, made me want to take a months-long trip to Ireland instead of my much shorter planned holiday.

[Melissa Arenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yup, I read the whole dang thing to prep for my trip! Quite informative. Will allow me to travel without being lost and confused. Especially good tips on how to about tourist trap or time suckers!

[Cindy]

Great book for planning my trip. Loved it!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great guide. Bigger than I thought. Wish it was updated. Look forward to reading more guides.

[Keith Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the Scottish edition and found it fascinating. The Irish edition is really good too. Recommend having a read with a Irish coffee.

[JC Cornell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Lonely Planet travel books. Great way to work out the not to miss sights before deep diving the internet.

[Pooja Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic travel guide

[Tom Quillin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someday

[Emily S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the 2024 version. Lots of good recs.